Triplexer architecture for aggregation

• US 9,729,191 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2015
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qorvo US, Inc. (Qorvo, Inc.)
• Inventors: Khlat, Nadim, Granger-Jones, Marcus
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Frank
• Application Number:
  US14/659,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20150263831A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/525 with means for reducing leakage of transmitter signal into the receiver

Abstract

RF circuitry, which includes a first hybrid RF coupler, a second hybrid RF coupler, and a third hybrid RF coupler, is disclosed. The first hybrid RF coupler is coupled to a first RF antenna. The second hybrid RF coupler is configured to receive a first lowband RF receive signal via the first RF antenna. The first hybrid RF coupler is configured to receive one of a first midband RF receive signal and a first highband RF receive signal via the first RF antenna. The third hybrid RF coupler configured to receive another of the first midband RF receive signal and the first highband RF receive signal via the first RF antenna.

Claims

1. RF circuitry comprising:

a first hybrid RF coupler configured to;

receive one of a first midband RF receive signal and a first highband RF receive signal via a first RF antenna, which is coupled to the first hybrid RF coupler; and

receive, split, and phase-shift a first lowband RF receive signal via the first RF antenna to provide a lowband in-phase RF receive signal and a lowband quadrature-phase RF receive signal;

a second hybrid RF coupler configured to receive, phase-shift, and combine the lowband in-phase RF receive signal and the lowband quadrature-phase RF receive signal to provide an RF receive signal; and

a third hybrid RF coupler configured to receive another of the first midband RF receive signal and the first highband RF receive signal via the first RF antenna.

2. The RF circuitry of claim 1 wherein the first hybrid RF coupler has a first isolation port, which is coupled to the first RF antenna.

3. The RF circuitry of claim 1 wherein:

a carrier frequency of the first lowband RF receive signal is less than about 1000 megahertz;

a carrier frequency of the first midband RF receive signal is greater than about 1000 megahertz and less than about 2250 megahertz; and

a carrier frequency of the first highband RF receive signal is greater than about 2250 megahertz.

4. The RF circuitry of claim 1 wherein:

a carrier frequency of the first lowband RF receive signal is greater than about 600 megahertz; and

a carrier frequency of the first highband RF receive signal is less than about 5500 megahertz.

5. The RF circuitry of claim 1 wherein:

a carrier frequency of the first lowband RF receive signal is greater than about 690 megahertz and less than about 960 megahertz;

a carrier frequency of the first midband RF receive signal is greater than about 1420 megahertz and less than about 2250 megahertz; and

a carrier frequency of the first highband RF receive signal is greater than about 2250 megahertz and less than about 4000 megahertz.

6. The RF circuitry of claim 1 wherein the first hybrid RF coupler, the second hybrid RF coupler, and the third hybrid RF coupler are further configured to receive the first lowband RF receive signal, the first midband RF receive signal, and the first highband RF receive signal simultaneously.

7. The RF circuitry of claim 6 wherein the first lowband RF receive signal, the first midband RF receive signal, and the first highband RF receive signal are receive downlink carrier aggregation (RXDLCA) signals.

8. The RF circuitry of claim 1 wherein:

the first hybrid RF coupler is further configured to transmit one of a first midband RF transmit signal and a first highband RF transmit signal via the first RF antenna;

the second hybrid RF coupler is further configured to transmit a first lowband RF transmit signal via the first RF antenna; and

the third hybrid RF coupler is further configured to transmit another of the first midband RF transmit signal and the first highband RF transmit signal via the first RF antenna.

9. The RF circuitry of claim 8 wherein the first hybrid RF coupler, the second hybrid RF coupler, and the third hybrid RF coupler are further configured to transmit at least two of the first lowband RF transmit signal, the first midband RF transmit signal, and the first highband RF transmit signal simultaneously.

10. The RF circuitry of claim 9 wherein the at least two of the first lowband RF transmit signal, the first midband RF transmit signal, and the first highband RF transmit signal are transmit uplink carrier aggregation (TXULCA) signals.

11. The RF circuitry of claim 1 further comprising a lowband RF lowpass filter coupled between the second hybrid RF coupler and the first hybrid RF coupler, wherein the second hybrid RF coupler is further configured to receive the lowband in-phase RF receive signal and the lowband quadrature-phase RF receive signal via the lowband RF lowpass filter.

12. The RF circuitry of claim 11 wherein a break frequency of the lowband RF lowpass filter is tunable based on a first function configuration signal.

13. The RF circuitry of claim 12 wherein control circuitry is configured to select the break frequency of the lowband RF lowpass filter using the first function configuration signal.

14. The RF circuitry of claim 1 wherein the one of the first midband RF receive signal and the first highband RF receive signal is the first midband RF receive signal, and the another of the first midband RF receive signal and the first highband RF receive signal is the first highband RF receive signal.

15. The RF circuitry of claim 14 further comprising an RF phase inversion circuit and a highband RF bandpass filter coupled in series between the third hybrid RF coupler and the first hybrid RF coupler.

16. The RF circuitry of claim 15 wherein a frequency response of the highband RF bandpass filter is tunable based on a first function configuration signal.

17. The RF circuitry of claim 14 further comprising an RF phase inversion circuit and a highband RF highpass filter coupled in series between the third hybrid RF coupler and the first hybrid RF coupler.

18. The RF circuitry of claim 17 wherein a break frequency of the highband RF highpass filter is tunable based on a first function configuration signal.

19. The RF circuitry of claim 1 wherein the one of the first midband RF receive signal and the first highband RF receive signal is the first highband RF receive signal, and the another of the first midband RF receive signal and the first highband RF receive signal is the first midband RF receive signal.

20. The RF circuitry of claim 19 further comprising an RF phase inversion circuit and a midband RF bandpass filter coupled in series between the third hybrid RF coupler and the first hybrid RF coupler.

21. The RF circuitry of claim 20 wherein a frequency response of the midband RF bandpass filter is tunable based on a first function configuration signal.

22. The RF circuitry of claim 1 further comprising a first RF triplexer and a second RF triplexer wherein:

the first RF triplexer comprises the first hybrid RF coupler, the second hybrid RF coupler, and the third hybrid RF coupler; and

the second RF triplexer is configured to receive a second lowband RF receive signal, a second midband RF receive signal, and a second highband RF receive signal via a second RF antenna.

23. The RF circuitry of claim 22 wherein the first RF antenna is a primary RF antenna and the second RF antenna is a secondary RF antenna.

24. The RF circuitry of claim 22 wherein the second RF triplexer comprises:

a fourth hybrid RF coupler configured to receive one of the second midband RF receive signal and the second highband RF receive signal via the second RF antenna;

a fifth hybrid RF coupler configured to receive the second lowband RF receive signal via the second RF antenna; and

a sixth hybrid RF coupler configured to receive another of the second midband RF receive signal and the second highband RF receive signal via the second RF antenna.

25. The RF circuitry of claim 22 wherein:

one of the first lowband RF receive signal and the second lowband RF receive signal is a primary lowband RF receive signal and another of the first lowband RF receive signal and the second lowband RF receive signal is a diversity lowband RF receive signal;

one of the first midband RF receive signal and the second midband RF receive signal is a primary midband RF receive signal and another of the first midband RF receive signal and the second midband RF receive signal is a diversity midband RF receive signal; and

one of the first highband RF receive signal and the second highband RF receive signal is a primary highband RF receive signal and another of the first highband RF receive signal and the second highband RF receive signal is a diversity highband RF receive signal.